From Draft NOtices, April-June 2024
- Ana Yeli Ruiz
The timeless wisdom of Malcolm X's words, "The white man will try to satisfy us with symbolic victories rather than economic equity and real justice," remains relevant in today's context. Periodically, rather than enacting substantive legislation that could improve the lives of Black, Indigenous, and other working-class individuals, the ruling class tends to offer symbolic triumphs to create the illusion of progress.
For example, the year 2020 bore witness to an unprecedented groundswell of Black Lives Matter protests sweeping across the United States. These protests were ignited by the heart-wrenching killings of George Floyd and a tragically long list of other Black individuals at the hands of law enforcement. The voices of protesters reverberated with impassioned demands for police accountability and the dismantling of qualified police immunity. Yet, the policy changes ushered in by our political leaders have fallen short of adequately addressing these core issues. Instead, we have witnessed an inundation of symbolic gestures, such as the renaming of schools, streets, warships, and military bases, all in homage to civil rights icons and champions of social justice. One such gesture is the U.S. Navy’s recent announcement that it would name a new ship after abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
This disturbing trend unfolds against a concerning surge in censorship and book bans, most notably targeting works that chronicle the rich tapestry of Black history. This confluence of events reveals a troubling pattern of subjecting our heroic figures, who once boldly opposed the juggernaut of the imperialist war machine, to recurrent bouts of whitewashing. Book bans hinder the ability of students to critically engage with history and transcend the confines of American exceptionalism. Deprived of this vital perspective, students may need help comprehending the stark hypocrisy and irony of the symbolic concessions that are being offered.
Simultaneously, an alarming reality persists, characterized by military bases that still bear the names of Confederate figures. This is despite the fact that the military’s annals house an abundant reservoir of historical figures whose contributions could be celebrated instead of those with such divisive associations. Furthermore, the association of an abolitionist icon’s name with a military institution or an instrument of war risks diminishing the true essence of their life's work and delivers a stinging insult to those on the progressive left who have arduously championed the accurate preservation of such hallowed legacies.
These symbolic gestures mask the true intention of the history erasures to serve as a veneer, permitting those in positions of power to appear empathetic to the demands for change voiced by marginalized communities.
Consider, for instance, the historical backdrop surrounding the inception of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which elicited vehement Republican opposition when it was proposed. Today, even right-wing pundits readily invoke MLK's name despite the strong likelihood that their positions during the 1960s would have established them as staunch adversaries of his message.
Another noteworthy example lies in the recent renaming of Fort Hood in Texas to Fort Cavazos, in honor of Richard Cavazos, the first Latino four-star general. While this gesture might deserve commendation, it remains insufficient in addressing the military base’s pervasive toxic culture, which has contributed to the tragic -- and still unpunished -- deaths of numerous soldiers, including Vanessa Guillen and Ana Basaldua Ruiz -– two Latinas whose lives were tragically cut short within the confines of Fort Hood.
Guillen, a dedicated Fort Hood, Texas soldier, tragically went missing in April 2020. Her disappearance and the subsequent investigation exposed a troubling culture of sexual harassment and abuse within the base, highlighting profound systemic issues regarding accountability and the treatment of service members, particularly women, which went unaddressed for far too long.
Ana Basaldua Ruiz, another soldier stationed at Fort Hood, lost her life under suspicious circumstances. Her case, alongside Vanessa Guillen's, underscores the pressing need for substantive change within these military institutions to ensure the safety and well-being of all service members.
In essence, Malcolm X's words are an unforgettable reminder that while symbolic gestures can helpfully acknowledge past trials, they must be complemented by substantive structural reforms to promote real economic equity and justice.
This article is from Draft NOtices, the newsletter of the Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (http://www.comdsd.org/).
